#50PreciousWords 2018 Writing Challenge is OPEN!!

For those of you who have not participated before, let me give you a bit of back story. March 2nd is the birthday of the incredible Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. For the last two years, I’ve hosted a little contest based on Bennet Cerf’s challenge to Seuss to write a children’s book using only 50 words. And the classic Green Eggs and Ham was born. It’s true that the story has over 700 words…but only 50 unique words.

In 2016, I thought it would be fun to try to write a story for kids with ONLY 50 words. With a beginning, a middle, and an end. I wondered if I could do it. And then I opened the challenge to everyone. Much to my surprise and amazement, there were 128 entries! And last year, there were 253 entries. And I hope we have a great turnout again this year because I am passionate about helping others follow their dream of writing for children.

In 2012 I had a dream. I wanted to write picture books. And I wanted to be traditionally published. And one of the most important things I did was to participate in writing challenges like Susanna Hill’s contests. Why was that important? Because it got me writing. It got me revising. It got me submitting. Hmmm….writing/revising/submitting. I believe that if we do those three things enough times, our writing improves and agents and editors get a chance to see our work. And as much as I am thrilled with my own success, nothing makes me happier than to hear about the success of others in our kidlit community.

Write a story appropriate for kids ages 12 or under, using only 50 words…they can all be different words, or you can use some of them over and over…just as long as the total word count of the story is 50 or less.

It can be prose, rhyme, free verse, silly or serious…whatever works for you.

Title is not included in the word count.

No illustration notes please.

Please post your story in the comment section below. If you have your own blog and want to post your story there also, please do. And let us know your post link. I ask for the link so that people will visit each other and find new friendsin the kid lit community. Please make sure you put your name in the post. If you have any trouble at all posting the story, please email me and I will be happy to do it for you: viviankirkfield@gmail.com.

Deadline for posting the story in the comments is Tuesday, March 6, at 11:59pm.

Winners will be announced in a special blog post on Sunday, March 11.

Winners? Of course, there will be winners…and prizes, too!

A critique from my beloved agent, Essie White (some of you may remember that the winner of the first year’s contest chose Essie’s critique as her prize…and she subsequently signed with Storm Literary Agency and THAT story, plus a sequel to it, will be published next year!

Your choice of ONE of the following from author, mentor, and founder of Sub Six FB group, Alayne Kay Christian:Picture Book critique or Chapter book critique (first three chapters), or Complimentary Art of Arc course.

$15 credit in her TeachersPayTeachers store from Barbara Leyne(GradeOnederful)

A big thank you to all of our amazing prize donors! Much appreciation to illustrator Vicky Fang whose awesome logo graces our challenge! And a grateful thank you to my dear friends and critique buddies, Maria Marshall and Julie Abery who will be helping me read and comment.

Last year there were over 2000 comments – ALL OF THEM POSITIVE AND ENCOURAGING! I am so proud to be a part of this amazing kidlit community. Our news stations and politicians should definitely take a lesson from this kidlit community.

And before I leave you to post your stories and comment on those you have a chance to read, I thought it would only be fair if I posted my sample of a 50-word story which hopefully has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

WHY THE STARS TWINKLE (49 words)

It was Sun’s birthday.

Moon gathered paper, paint,

glitter and glue to make a card.

But Wind blew.

Glitter and glue covered the stars.

“Now I have no gift for Sun,” cried Moon.

“Twinkling stars are the best present of all,” said Sun.

And Moon glowed all night long.

The End

Remember, if you have any questions or concerns, please email me: viviankirkfield@gmail.com.

What does my cat do when I’m at school?
Does he eat with a spoon?
Or fly to the moon?
Does he whip up a roast?
Or drive down the coast?
Play golf with my pa?
Or fix grandma’s car?
What does my cat do when I’m at school?

Our cat Max used to go missing all day. We had a game where we would guess what he got up to. Turns out the old guy next door was feeding him and letting him doze by his fire. Eventually Max disowned us altogether, though he would drop by occasionally for a scratch or to vomit on the carpet. Anyway, cool idea, and thanks inspiring me to try my hand at a picture book.

Heavy rain sends Cat scurrying for cover.
Under the porch roof, he shakes himself dry.
He runs when he sees little faces spying.
But he’s back next time it rains.
This time a bowl of food waits. He eats.
He still thinks he’s wild.
They’ve already chosen his name.

Vivian, I had to post a cat story too. Being that it’s the trend this year; and, being that I have seven cats who, once they heard that there were so many cat story posted, they insisted. They said they would never forgive me if I didn’t. ~Vicki

Willow, It’s always such a challenge at times to get the cat to come snuggle. Your story portrays the way, even though you know they want to (and usually do) snuggle, they sure take their sweet time getting there. 🙂 Good luck.

A crow became smitten
with an orphaned kitten.
Mama bird took such good care of the cat in need,
that the unlikely pair became best friends indeed.
Little Fur and Big Feather always stuck together–
playing their days away in all kinds of weather…

As part of Renee LaTulippe’s Lyrical Language Lab course, I wrote a double dactyl poem (well, a pair of them, so I guess this is a double-double dactyl, making its debut)!. I’m excited to share it here! 50 words, on the nose. (And how funny, my story ALSO features a cat. What is that, 4 in a row? HAHA!)

FICKLE FLOWER PICKING by Jennifer Broedel
(50 words)

Pranciful, shmanciful,
Frannie the fanciful
frolicked through fields that were
filled to the brim.

Finding that flowers, by
fundamentality,
frazzled her feline, she
flung them from him.

Oh WOW…I remember when I had to write that exercise for Renee…it was totally hard and totally fun! And I love yours, Jennifer. Your character names are so much fun! And your alliteration if great! Thanks for playing along and for shouting out on social media!

Thank you- I’m really satisfied with the employment of those tools! 😉 Isn’t it so exciting when word play plays out well? It makes writing all the more fun, and that’s saying something. Writing is just about my favorite thing to do, these days.

A penguin ate a pickle.
It gave his throat a tickle.
He saw it when the keeper dropped it.
Straight into his mouth he popped it.
The odd addition to his lunch
Disappeared, munch munch munch.
He didn’t like it in the least.
‘Twas not the hoped for fishy feast.

I really love this. I think it’s my favorite so far. I am so curious where you got the idea.

I’m actually very impressed by so many of these stories. It’s so hard to write in 50 words or less. I’m amazed by the variety of stories here. I can’t “like” them individually because I am not a member of WordPress. But wanted to say how I have enjoyed reading the entries. And what a fun contest I think this is!

What a clever idea for a nonfiction science book, Heather! I love the ‘raincoat made of feather”..and the detailed science facts worked in so effortlessly…nice job! I hope you pursue this one and add other animals.

Aha! I finally figured out how to comment on my new iPad. I think this is an amazing entry! First, I love rhyme. Second, there’s a puzzle posed which is always fun,and finally, the answer is fascinating and TRUE! All in 50 words, impressive!

I love that you told us all about a rainbow without saying the word…and I love your title! And you are right…rainbows are shy…they disappear quickly sometimes…just when you get a good look at them. Thank you so much for joining in the #50PreciousWord fun, Jay!

Stephanie…what a fabulous title! And I can see this will be a very funny picture book if you keep going with it. Cows applauding when the wrangler has to stop the cattle drive – that is hilarious! You’ve got great imagery here!

“Mom! My rocket’s stuck in the tree!”
“Throw something at it! Mom yelled.
I tried a stick. It got stuck.
I tried my football. It fell back on my forehead.
I tried my baseball bat. It broke the branch,
No rocket…
I picked up the cat.
Mom came running…FAST!

Oh, this is great! It really conveys that stage-fright so well (she says, from personal experience). I like the poetic word choices and the circular ending, coming back around to do it again after surviving. Nicely done.

I could feel the tension in this too. You do a great job in capturing the fear and excitement of piano recitals. When I was in recitals as a child, I remember feeling like my fingers were moving on their own.

‘I skinned my knee without a boo-boo kiss. That says it all, Rebecca. Every child will relate to that feeling of not having mom close by. Lovely story of a young child’s day…I felt all the emotions…well done!!!

Patty sat on a mat with cat.
Until he spied a big fat rat.
He raced around the little house.
He also spied a small brown mouse.
Patty stood upon a chair
Cat chased rodents with great care.
Eventually he made them scat.
Patty sat on a mat with cat.

Gophers invaded Murphy’s doghouse. He tried to growl them out. He tried to yowl them out. He snuck a plate of beans and tried to foul them out. Nothing worked. Finally, he dug up his treasures and paid an expert. Kitty 1. Gophers 0.

Thank you for the kind words and the contest, Vivian! You rock.The opportunity and prizes are amazing.

Putting on my behavioral neurologist hat, my theory about the preponderance of feline-focused entries this year is that “cat” is the first association most people make with Dr. Seuss. I set out to write a story about lost socks, but a cat stole the show—as well as the socks.

I really enjoyed your scintillating and creative story about the sun, moon, and stars, too, and I wonder what inspired your tale. Your weekly cookie and craft projects? (Cookies often remind me of the moon.) Or Game of Thrones, perchance?

All the glitter to you for being such a champion and supporter of other writers. You are a star in the firmament.

Your spring wake up will wake up some editor, I think. This is really well done. Lots of great elements here…great meter and rhyme…plus beautiful imagery and fun sound words. And you’ve even got a counting and season hook. I love it, Ann!

Christy…why would you chicken out? This is such a great concept…I love the interaction between Gramps and CAT. I know how busy you must be…I really appreciate you working on a story for #50PreciousWords!!!

Oh Robin, I wish I could go to NESCBWI this year, but hubby isn’t well and I need to stay close to home for him. But I’ll be there in spirit!
And I LOVE your story. A perfect way for Willow and Oak to both feel loved and needed! Thanks so much for joining in the fun!

Be kind to dolphins,
and doves and dogs
and cats and coral
and friends and frogs
and bats and bear cubs
and bumblebees
and plants, and peacocks, piano keys,
the glass that glitters
upon the shelf,
be kind to them all and
be kind to yourself!

A brief story inspired by seeing a friendship bench on a school playground, and things I see/hear that stick with me as a substitute teacher.

Rainbows, Dreams and Flutterflies
49 words
Mary Vander Plas

We sit on the friendship bench.
Three of us.
Silent.
Eyes downcast.
Rainbows remind me of my dog.
Dreams remind me of my baby sister. She never came home.
Flutterflies remind me of Grandpa.
You mean butterflies?
We called them Flutterflies.
I’ll call them Flutterflies too.
Three new friends.

Thanks everyone. In 49 words the grief /pain is definitely highlighted. I’m working on the full MS where hope, kindness and friendship are the shining stars! I would never have seen the difference in tone without joining 12×12 and very hesitantly jumping into this contest with both feet.

😉 – Isn’t this always the case? Good thing they’re best friends and hugs cure all. Great capture of excitement, frustration, anger, embarrassment, forgiveness, and ultimately friendship in so few words. Nicely done, Sarah. Good Luck.

Thank you Vivian for this great challenge! 50 words? Most of my comments are longer than that! lol. But what a great way to measure the importance of each one carefully. Here is mine inspired by the 600 (yep, you read that correctly) daffodil bulbs we planted last fall.

A snow flake fell
Then another
and another
then too many to count.
But underneath the ground hid hope.

Deep in the darkest places
Forgotten
Hope rested
Waiting

Finally, a shoot burst through
Then another
and another
then too many to count
And above the ground bloomed hope.

Martha is tired of waiting.
“Be patient,” her mother says.
She was patient while she watched the caterpillar grow, crawl under a big leaf, magically form a chrysalis.
Martha is tired of waiting.
This morning she peeks under the leaf. No more waiting!
A beautiful butterfly is waiting for her

Platypus bemoaned his beak,
a tear slid down one furry cheek,
“I don’t fit in. I don’t belong.
My paddle tail,” he wailed, “is wrong!”
Then otter, beaver, drake and duck,
swam by and he was thunderstruck!
“I have their strengths, their odds and ends,
a hotchpotch of potential friends!”

WOW…Bruna…writing comp virgin no longer…this is really good work…I love it! I’m so glad you took on the challenge. Your rhyme and meter are spot on! And there is heart and humor in this story…I was right there with Platypus. 😉

This short story seems so timely now with people feeling the strength to advocate for what they believe. “One,ten,hundreds,then thousands of singers joining in
to sing the song that has become An anthem rising once unsung.” Yes!

Your rhythm is wonderful, Jessica…like the tens and hundreds and thousands marching together…joining and becoming stronger. And your language is very lyrical…thank you so much for sharing your story with us. Well done!

The reverso didn’t print right. Sigh. They words were supposed to be side by side. The only way it will publish on the post is one side under another. Here ya go. Top is one POV. Bottom is another perspective.

Cuddle Monster! We had one in our house too! I could see this becoming a picture book that kids would love to read over and over knowing the fun ending that leads to a cuddle with Mom or Dad. Good job!

Leo loved his snow globe.
The house inside glowed with pride. But no people. So he could imagine how they felt.
Usually he thought happy.
When he thought they were grumpy, it meant he was.
So he decided, on purpose, that they were happy.
Then he was happy again too.

The stories are wonderful…it’s my pleasure to host this challenge again. And thank you, Serge, for sharing such a great story. I love the names of your characters! And the twist at the end is perfect!
I’ll delete the first entry, okay?

Theo ripped his favorite sweater.
This was very bad.
Would it be thrown away?
It is still a great sweater.
These stripes!
Those pockets!
He took the poor sweater to Mimi.
She took out her sewing kit.
Mimi let Theo help fix the sweater.
Theo’s sweater is even better now.

I’m so glad that Theo can keep his beloved sweater. It reminds me of my grandson who used to come to me with a favorite stuffed animal that he was always poking a little hole in a spot there the stitching would come loose and I would sew it for him…the joy on his face each time was a sight to see. You helped us see how Theo felt also. Great job! And thank you for joining the challenge. I am getting to meet so many new people!!!